Vehicle body side construction



v 16, 1932, I LEDWlNKA 1,844,965

VEHICLE BODY SIDE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Jan. 9, 1926 v i o k N E:

INVENTOR. S g 2 IosEPHLEDV/MKA BY f) A TTORN E Y.

Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES, PATENTTOFFICE JOSEPH LEDW'INKA, OFPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA VEHICLE BODY sInE CONSTRUCTION Originalapplication filed January 9, 1926, Serial No.80,166, and in CanadaJanuary 7, 1927. Divided V and this application filed March 25, 1931.Serial No. 525,055.

This invention relates to automobile bodies of closed design, known'asthe sedan type, and relates particularly to'structures of this typewhich are built up of sheet steel stamped 5 or otherwise formed into thedesired form or contour and rigidly secured together.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 80,166,filed'Jan. 9, 1926.

The object of the invention is to provide a lo closed automobile bodywhich is at once SD11? ple, strong and rugged and which canabe easilyand economically manufactured.

A still further object is the provision of a side header of such crosssection as permits 15 the application of the roofunit with greater" easeand facility than has heretofore been possible.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination,location and rela tive arrangement of parts all as will be more fullyhereinafter set forth as shown in the accompanying drawings and finallypointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary sideelevational View, showing the upper portion of the body in centrallongitudinal section.

' Figures 2 and 3 are detail sectional views taken on the correspondinglines of Figure 1.

The same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever itoccurs throughout the several views.

In the manufacture of automobile bodies it is desirable to securestrength and rigidity in the completed structure, simplicity in'theparts composing the structure and speed in the assembling and joining ofthe parts together in order to secure economy. In attaining this resultit is equally desirable to secure ruggedness in the completed structureand the production of a body to efliciently withstand the shocks andvibrations in use.

In the accomplishment of these objects and purposes I propose toconstruct the automobile body out of sheet steel stampings which arepressed or stamped into the desired shape or contour and are assembledand secured'together to produce a single integral homoge neousstructure.

In the drawings, the front post is represented by numeral 10, theintermediate or B and C post by 11, the rearmost door or D post by 12,the i'earmost or E post at the rear of the rear quarter window openingby 13 and the. top rail connecting the tops of these post members, by14.

The posts are generally'of inwardly presenting channel form except theE-post which is a rearwardly presentingchannel, and the top rail isaccording to the present invention continuous from the A to the E posts.The construction of the posts is, however, immaterial as respects thisinvention except as their form and the form of thetop rail facilitatesits joinder to the tops of the posts. 1

The side top rail of my invention forms the principal frame element ofthe body X-- tending above the doors and window openings and is given aform which makes for ex-- treme simplicity and yet hi hly adaptable tocoact with adjoining elements.

It is mounted upon and secured in an intermediate portion thereof to thetop of the B and 0 post 11, and'is of simple 2 section throughout thatportion extending forwardly of the D post and of double angle crosssection throughout that portion which or;- tends rearwardly of the 'Dpost as clearly appears in Figs. 2 and 3. Ordinarily in the practice ofmy invention, the top rail is first joined to the intermediate B and Cpost 11 to the bottom of which the side sill is joined, to form anintermediate side unit, which is joined through the ends of the sill andtop rail to a front unit carrying A-post's 10 and a tonneau unitcarrying the D and E posts 12 and 13.

The simple Z section of the rail 14: between the A and D posts enablesthe j cinder of the posts very simply and securely thereto as indicatedin Fig. 2. The web 15 of the Z is arranged horizontally and is ofsubstantially a width equal to the thickness of the body wall. The railthus serves also as the top jamb face of the door openings. The outerarm 16 of the Z extends upwardly to provide with the web an angular seatfor the side of the roof and the inner arm 17 extends downwardly andprovides a door stop flange. The

channel section posts of the depth of the body wall are readily andstrongly secured 5 to this simple Z section rail. In gs. 1 and 2 isillustrated the manner of securing the B and C post. The side walls ofthe post abut the web ot the rail and are rigidly secured thereto by theU-shaped bracket 18 having its side walls secured to the side walls ofthe post and its bottom wall secured as by rivets to the web of therail. The post is further secured to the rail by having its lateralflanges 19 which overiap the downwardly extending arm 17 welded thereto,and by having its base wall extended upwardly to overlap and be securedto the upwardly extending arm 16.

The top rail is joined at the front to the $9 A-post 10 by suitablemeans, including an angle bracket 20. The top rail overlies the D-post12 in a manner similar to its relation to the B and C post 11 and may besimilarly secured thereto.

Just in rear oi the post 12, the top rail is offset downwardly to bringit to the level of the top of the rear quarter window, which is somewhatbe ow the level of the door and is there given the double angle formshown in Fig. 3. At its extreme rear end it is secured to the E-post 13as by a bracket 21.

The upper angular portion formed by the vertical arm 22 and thehorizontal arm 23,

serves like the angular formation formed by the web 15 and outer arm 16of the simple Z-section portion of the rail to receive the edge frame ofthe root. The lower and smaller angular portion formed by the verticalarm 2 and narrow horizontal arm serves to seat a trim strip.

The vertical arm 24. of this portion of the rail also forms the innerside wall of the glass run channel at the top of the rear quarter windowopening.

The outer side wall and bottom of this glass run channel are formed bythe panel strip 26 seated at the top against the upper margin of the arm22 and provided at its top edge with an inwardly extending flange, whichis adapted to be crimped over the top margin of the arm 22 ot the rail,as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The lower edge of the panel isbeaded downwardly at 28 and formed with an inwardly extending edgeflange 29 secured to the horizontal arm 23 of the top rail.

What I claim is:

1. In a pressed metal automobile body construction, a longitudinallyextending side top rail having a cross section of substantially Zsection, the outer arm of the Z extending upwardly and the inner armextending downwardly and the web of the Z being of a depth substantiallyequal to the thickness of the body wall.

2. In a pressed metal automobile body construction a side top railextending from the front post of the body to the rear post thereof, saidto rail being intermediately supported at t e top of the rear door post,the portion of the to rail extending forwardly of the door post heing ofsubstantially simple Z section and the portion thereofextendingrearwardl Y of the rear door post being of substantially doubleangle section.

3. In a pressed metal automobile body construction, a side top railsupported at the top of the rear door rear post and having portionsextending forwardly and rearwardly of said door post, the portion ofsaid top 30 rail which extends rearwardly of said door post being ofinwardly and upwardly double angle formation, said angles constitutingseats for the reception of a roof unit and upholstery tacking stripsrespectively.

4. In a vehicle body construction, a pressed metal top rail extendingover the rear quarter window opening and having a main transverselextending web portion, an upwardly exten ing flange at the outer edge ofsaid web portion, and a downwardly extending flange at the inner edge ofsaid web portion forming a side of a window panel receiving channel anda panel strip applied to the outer side of said rail and formed toprovide the outside wall and bottom of said window panel receivingchannel.

5. In a vehicle body, a. top rail stamping extending from the front postto the rear edge of a rear quarter window, said rail having its rearportion over the window opening downwardly offset with respect to itsforward portion.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

JOSEPH LEDIVINKA.

